The Mets’ trip to Wrigley Field turned into a slugfest Tuesday night — and when the dust settled, it was Francisco Álvarez who stood tallest. His go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning capped a furious comeback, as the Mets rallied from an early 5–1 hole to stun the Cubs, 9–7.
Early fireworks, early trouble
It all started on the very first pitch of the night, when Francisco Lindor jumped Cade Horton’s heater and deposited it into dead-center for his 29th homer of the season. Juan Soto followed with a single and a stolen base (36th of the Year), but the Mets couldn’t tack on, and that missed opportunity loomed large after the bottom half.
David Peterson struggled mightily out of the gate. Nico Hoerner’s leadoff single, a stolen base, and a two-out walk set the table for Carlos Santana, who ripped a two-run double to right field to put Chicago on top. The Cubs kept the line moving in the second, stringing together a walk, a single, and a pair of RBI hits from Hoerner and Ian Happ to stretch the lead to 5–1. Peterson didn’t escape the frame — Huascar Brazobán had to bail him out.
Mets come alive in the fifth
For four innings, the Mets looked flat — until they exploded for a five-run fifth inning that completely flipped the game.
It started small: Starling Marte reached on a single, and Álvarez hit a fielder’s choice that pushed Marte to third. Lindor grounded out to bring home a run, trimming it to 6–2. Pete Alonso followed with an RBI single to score Álvarez, setting the table for the big swing.
With two outs and two on, Brandon Nimmo crushed a three-run homer to right — his 25th — tying the game at 6. Just like that, the Mets were back in it, and Wrigley Field went quiet.
Lindor and Álvarez take over late
After the Cubs tied the game 7–7 in the sixth on Seiya Suzuki’s RBI single, the stage was set for some late-inning heroics.
Jeff McNeil doubled to start the top of the sixth and scored on Lindor’s RBI single, temporarily giving the Mets a 7–6 lead before Chicago answered.
Then came the eighth inning. Brett Baty singled to open the frame, and Luisangel Acuña came in as a pinch-runner, swiping second base to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. With two outs, Álvarez stepped to the plate and crushed a 2-1 pitch to straightaway center for his 10th home run of the season. The ball barely cleared Pete Crow-Armstrong’s outstretched glove, and the Mets dugout erupted as New York went up 9–7.
Díaz slams the door
From there, it was Edwin Díaz time — and he looked every bit like the elite closer the Mets need him to be. Díaz struck out the side in the ninth, blowing away Carson Kelly, Michael Busch, and Dansby Swanson to seal a massive comeback win.
Key Performers
- Francisco Álvarez: 1-for-3, HR (10), 2 RBI, go-ahead blast in the eighth.
- Francisco Lindor: 2-for-5, HR (29), 3 RBI, continues to be the heartbeat of the lineup.
- Brandon Nimmo: 2-for-5, HR (25), 3 RBI, game-tying bomb in the fifth.
- Pete Alonso: 2-for-5, RBI single, scored on Nimmo’s homer.
- Edwin Díaz: Perfect ninth, 3 Ks, earns save No. 35.
Takeaways for the Mets
This was one of the more resilient wins of the season — the type of game the Mets have often let slip away in years past. The bullpen (Brazobán, Stanek, Gregory Soto, Tyler Rogers, Brooks Raley, and Díaz) combined to allow just one earned run over 6 1/3 innings after Peterson’s rough start.
Álvarez’s homer couldn’t have come at a better time, not just for the game but for his confidence. After battling injuries and inconsistency in 2025, he’s starting to look like the offensive force the Mets envisioned when they made him their everyday catcher.
Final Score: Mets 9, Cubs 7
New York improves to 83–71, staying firmly in the Wild Card hunt. With momentum and their young catcher finding his swing again, this win could loom large as the Mets look to secure October baseball.
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